Envelope



May 17, 1932. E. G. OVERLY ENVELOPE Filed April 25, 1930 INVENTOR E/mer6f0rer/y I Wasp/xv W054.

A TTORNE Y8 Patented May 17, 1932 UNITED srars ELMER G. OVER'LY, OFGREENSZBUR'G, PENNSYLVEN'IE 15112117131110PIE Application filed April=25 1930: Serial No. 447 148.

Thisinvention relates to window envelopes for mailing small addressed. cards or other enclosures, and is in the nature of an im.-- provement upon the inventiom disclosed 1n Letters Patent of the United States No.

1,601,318, granted to me on September 28,.

opening in the face of the envelope.

It is a particular object of the present in? vention to provide an. envelope of the kind referredto adapted to receive acard. having an addressprinted near the top thereof and to exhibit suchaddress-through a window of the envelope While leavingample space along the top margin of theface ofthe envelope for thereturn address and for postage.

It is. a further object of the invention to 1? providean envelope of the kind referred to in which astop for limiting movement ofthe enclosureis formed. by the adhesive securement of twoof the flaps to one another.

It is a further object. of the inventionto provide an envelope. of the kind referred to in which the enclosure smaller than the envelope may be inserted against apositive stop and may then lee-confined against movement by the sealing of' the envelope.

It is a still further object of theinvention to make provision of a stop for confining movement of theenclosure by the adhesive. securementof afiap to the envelope body and to employ. another envelope flap as a guard to. clearly define the area of exposure of the envelope body to the adhesive on the firstmentioned flap and thereby to define the en-. closure engagingboundary of such stop.

Other objectsand advantages will hereine after appear.

In the drawings forming part of-this specification:

Figure. l is. a plan view of an. envelope blank used in the manufacture of: an! envelope embodying features of the invention;

' and areadhesively secured together.

Figure 2 discloses. the same blan-kfwitlr the bottom flap and one side fl'ap folded}.

Figure. 8.. shows the same. blank with the second side flap also folded; and.

Figure shows the finished envelope folded and sealed.

The envelope comprises a body portion 1 having side. flapsQ'and' 3 a bottom flap 4,,andi a. top flap 5... The body portion 1' is. provided with a. window 6 forexhibit'ingithe address typed or. stenciled on. an enolosureoard' 7.. The top. flap 5 has a coatingof adhesive 8 applied to it,.and the bottom flap 4 has coatings of adhesive. 9' and-,10appl'ied t'o it, the coating 10 beingv optional, as will be hereinafter pointedout.

The blank ofFignre 1 is formed into an envelope by folding in the side flaps 2 and3' andvfolding. the bottom fiapA: ove-r uponthe body portion of the envelope and upon the side flaps. The. adhesivearea 9 overliest'he margin. of the side. flap 2; so that the flaps 2 This area, liowever,..,escapes engagement with the bottom oftheenvelope. It will be noted 'that the. adhesive. area. 9'terminates at the right handboundary thereof in a straight vertical line 11'; It will also be. noted that'a portion of. theside, flap 2 to the rightof the line. 11' isexposedinas seen in-Figure 2. A card 7" of the size. and shape shown may accordingly be; readily introduced? between the flaps. 2Iandi4 inthe unsecured" areasrthereof,. and] may be insertedin' the envelope to the position shown in Figure 2; When so inserted; the. adhesivelyconnected flaps-2 and i. formia stop for limitingmovement of the -cardtoward the left; as seen in Figure 2. Since the card engages the fold'lines at the bottom andjthe. right handside of the en.-

velope, movement of the card downward or toward'the right is also prevented;

The envelopeisisealed by moistening and folding. over the top flap '5' against the en velope body andtheether three flaps. The adhesive. areaS-overlieS .a portion of the side flap 2iandiaxport'ion ofthebottom flap 4, so thatthe. flap; 5 is. adhesively connected" to these. twoflaps. Thev adhesive area- 8 also overlies aiportion oftlieibodyof'the envelope adapt the envelope.

which is not protected by the side and bottom flaps. The top flap 5 accordingly becomes adhesively connected to the body of the envelope in an area whose lower boundary coincides with the upper edge of the bottom flap 4. Such adhesive connection of the top flap 5 and the envelope body necessarily prevents upward movement of the card 7 so that the card is definitely fixed against movement in any direction. It is not, however, itself adhesively connected to any portion of the envelope, since the bottom flap 4 is of greater height than the card and protects the entire area of the card which would otherwise be exposed to the adhesive on the flap 5.

The adhesive area 8 does not extend completely across the top flap 5, the right hand end of the top flap being left free of adhesive. The side flap 3 is cut away to provide a recess 12. As a result of this arrangement, the adhesive of thetop flap does not overlap any portion of the side flap which is unprotected by the bottom flap, and accordingly the side fiap 3 is left free to be withdrawn at will by the postal authorities, so that the contents of the envelope may be examined. In other words, the envelope is of the type adapted for the mailing of what is now classified as third class mail matter. It will be understood, of course, that for the use of the envelope as first class mail the side fiap 3 may be sealed shut as in any ordinary first class envelope.

It will be noted that the card 7 is confined to a position in which the address written upon it will be exhibited through the window of the envelope by the stops already described, independently of the provision of the adhesive area 10. If greater security is required, however, the adhesive area 10 may be provided so that the flap 4: and body 1 will coach to provide a stop in line with the stop formed by fiaps 2 and 4.

If adhesive 10 is omitted, the back and body of the envelope remain wholly unconnected until the top flap is folded over and sealed. The envelope may, therefore, be employed optionally for cards of the length of the card 7 or for cards having the same length ii as the envelope but the height of the card 7.

The envelope may, if desired, be made capable of transmitting cards of the length of card 7, and also of any selected length desired greater than that of the card 7, but not greater than the length of the envelope. Thus the adhesive area 10 which securesthebottomfiap to the body of the envelope may be located at any point desired in accordance with the length of the card for which it is desired to It will be understood, of course, that ifany card longer than the card 7 is employed in the envelope illustrated, the card will not be inserted between the unsecured areas ofthe flaps 2 and 4. but will be inserted between the flap 2 and the body of the envelope. The folding over and sealing of the top flap will serve to provide a stop for limiting upward movement of the card in the manner already described, regardless of the length of carding employed.

I have described what I believe to be the best embodiment of my invention. I do not wish, however, to be confined to the embodiment shown, but what I desire to cover by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An envelope comprising a body portion having a. window opening therein, flap portions comprising a side flap and a bottom flap, and a stop for limiting movement of an enclosure smaller than the envelope, formed by the adhesive union of said flaps.

2. An envelope comprising a body portion having a Window opening therein, flap portions comprising side flaps, a bottom flap and a sealing flap, and a stop for limiting movement of an enclosure smaller than the envelope, formed by the adhesive union of the sealing flap and the body portion outside the bounds of the side and bottom flap portions.

3. An envelope comprising a body portion having a window opening therein, flap portions comprising side flaps, a bottom flap and a sealing flap, and a stop for limiting movement of an enclosure smaller than the envelope, formed by the adhesive union of the sealing flap and the body portion, the bottom flap having a. straight upper boundary and serving as a guard for the body portion to control the location of the enclosure engaging boundary of saidstop. I

4:. A window envelope adapted to receive an addressed enclosure substantially smaller than itself and to maintain such enclosure substantially in engagement with the bottom and side boundaries of the envelope, said envelope comprising a body portion, side flaps, a bottom flap, a top sealing flap, a stop for limiting sidewise movement of the enclosure, formed by the adhesive union of two of said flaps, and a stop limiting upward movement of the enclosure formed by the adhesive union of the sealing flap and the body portion.

5. A window envelope comprising a body porti0n, a plurality of flaps, and a stop for limiting movement of a small enclosure in the envelope, formed by the adhesive union of two of the flaps.

6. An envelope comprising a body portion, flap portions, and a stop for limiting movement of a small enclosure formed by the adhesive union of the body portion and one of said fiap portions, another of the flap portions serving as a guard to limit the area of adhesion and thereby definitely control the location of the enclosure engaging boundary of the stop.

7. An envelope comprising a body portion having a window therein, a pair of flaps lapped onto one another and adhesively united to form a stop for limiting movement of a small enclosure, and adhesive uniting one of said flaps to the body portion to provide an additional stop for limiting movement of a small enclosure.

8. An envelope comprising a body portion having a window, flap portions, a stop formed by the adhesive union of a flap portion with the body portion for limiting movement of the enclosure in one direction, and a stop formed by the adhesive union of two flap portions for limiting movement of the enclosure in another direction.

9. An envelope comprising a body having return address and postage areas in the upper margin thereof, and having a window opening below such margin, flap portions ineluding a sealing flap, and stops, including a stop formed by the adhesive union of the sealing flap and the body outside the bounds of the other flap portions, for confining a small addressed enclosure to a lower corner of the envelope with the address thereof in register with the window.

10. An envelope comprising a body portion having a window therein, a pair of side flaps, a bottom flap, and a sealing flap, adhesive uniting the bottom flap with one of the side flaps and thereby forming a stop for limiting movement of a small enclosure, and a second stop formed by the adhesive union of the sealing flap with the body portion, the

bottom flap forming a guard to limit the area of adhesion of the sealing flap and the body portion, and also to prevent adhesion of the sealing flap to the other side flap.

11. An envelope comprising a body por- 49 tion having a window opening therein, a bottom flap, a. first side flap cooperative with the bottom flap to form a stop for limiting movement of the enclosure, a second side flap, and a sealing flap, the sealing flap having an adhesive area adapted to be applied to the body port-ion to form a stop for limiting movement of the enclosure, and the second side flap being cut away to escape engagement with the adhesive area of the sealing 12. An envelope comprising a body portion having a window opening therein, a bottom flap, a first side flap, a sealing flap, and a second side flap, the sealing flap having an adhesive area formed to engage the body portion outside the bounds of the other flaps,

and also to engage the bottom flap and the first side flap, but to escape engagement with the second side fiap, whereby the second side M flap is left free to permit withdrawal and inspection of the enclosure.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature to this specification.

ELMER G. OVERLY. 

